Subsidence & Home Insurance in
Ireland: How Claims Work
You've spotted a diagonal crack above your door frame. Or a window that has suddenly started sticking. Or a floor that seems slightly lower at one side than it used to be. And now you're wondering: is this subsidence? And if it is, will my insurance cover it?
This guide answers both questions and explains exactly what happens when you notify your insurer, what they will require from you, and how a Chartered Structural Engineer fits into the claim process.
The Most Important Rule: Do Not Fill the Cracks
Before anything else: do not fill, repair, or redecorate over the cracks you have noticed. This is the single most important instruction for anyone who suspects subsidence. Cracks are evidence: they tell an engineer the direction, extent, and timing of movement. Filling them destroys that evidence and can genuinely prejudice your insurance claim. Take photographs instead, preferably with a scale in shot (a ruler or coin), and note the date.
Does Irish Home Insurance Cover Subsidence?
Most standard Irish home insurance policies include subsidence cover as part of the buildings section of the policy. Subsidence is typically defined in the policy as the downward movement of the ground supporting the building, distinct from settlement (normal compaction of a new building) and from heave (upward movement of clay soils).
Key conditions that apply to most Irish policies:
- 1 The policy must have been in force before the subsidence commenced. You cannot take out a new policy once you have identified signs of subsidence and expect the new insurer to fund the investigation and repair.
- 2 The cause must be a ground movement event, not a building defect, poor workmanship, or gradual deterioration.
- 3 Most policies carry a subsidence excess (the amount you pay before the insurer covers the rest). This is typically €1,000–€2,500 in Irish policies.
- 4 Cosmetic damage only (hairline plaster cracks with no structural distortion) is generally not covered.
How a Subsidence Insurance Claim Works in Ireland: Step by Step
Step 1: Notify Your Insurer
As soon as you suspect subsidence, notify your insurer or broker. Do not wait: policies typically require prompt notification of a potential claim, and delayed notification can be used to query the timeline of events. Your insurer will log the claim and appoint a loss adjuster to manage it on their behalf.
Step 2: The Loss Adjuster Visits
The insurer's loss adjuster, typically a Chartered Surveyor, will visit your property. Note that a loss adjuster represents the insurer's interest, not yours. Their role is to document the damage and assess whether the claim falls within the policy terms. A loss adjuster is not a Chartered Structural Engineer and cannot conclusively confirm subsidence; they are looking at whether the claim is plausible and within policy scope.
Step 3: The Engineer's Investigation
For any substantive subsidence claim, the insurer will commission a Chartered Structural Engineer to investigate the cause and extent of movement. This engineer may be appointed by the insurer, or you may engage your own Chartered Structural Engineer independently, particularly if the claim is complex or if you wish to have an independent technical advocate.
The engineer's investigation includes the site visit, crack survey, drainage and tree assessment, and (in most cases) a monitoring programme. See our full guide to the investigation process and costs for what this involves.
Step 4: The Monitoring Period
For insurance claims, a formal monitoring period is almost always required. The insurer (via the engineer) will install tell-tale crack monitors and measure them over a defined period, typically six to twelve months. This data quantifies the movement and confirms whether it is seasonal (tree roots on clay soils) or continuous (drainage failure or structural loading). Without monitoring data, the engineer cannot make a definitive determination.
Step 5: The Chartered Structural Engineer's Report
On completion of monitoring, the engineer issues a formal Chartered Structural Engineer's Report. This report is the technical heart of the claim. It sets out the cause, extent, and prognosis of movement, and specifies the remedial works required. The insurer's acceptance or rejection of the claim is largely based on this report.
Step 6: Remediation
If the claim is accepted, the insurer funds the remediation works specified in the engineer's report, typically underpinning, drainage repair, or resin injection. The works are carried out by a specialist contractor and supervised by the Chartered Structural Engineer. On completion, the engineer issues a certificate of completion of remedial works.
What If Your Claim Is Disputed or Declined?
Insurers may decline a subsidence claim on various grounds: the damage is attributed to settlement rather than subsidence, the cracking is cosmetic only, or the policy excess exceeds the cost of repair. In any of these situations, you have the right to challenge the decision.
The most effective approach is to engage an independent Chartered Structural Engineer, one working for you, not the insurer, to prepare an independent technical report. If that report reaches a different conclusion to the insurer's engineer, you have grounds for an appeal, a dispute resolution process, or (in serious cases) legal action.
Banrach's Insurance Specialism
Banrach Consulting Engineers work with homeowners and commercial clients on both insurer-managed claims and independent investigations. Where a claim has been disputed or declined, we prepare independent Chartered Structural Engineer's Reports that are accepted by Irish insurers, the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO), and solicitors. We also act directly for loss adjusters and insurers requiring an independent technical assessment. Contact Banrach Consulting Engineers at banrach.ie
Selling a House With Subsidence History in Ireland
A property with a past subsidence claim must be disclosed in the vendor's solicitor's property information form. However, a properly remediated and certified property, where the cause has been addressed and the repair certified by a Chartered Structural Engineer, is generally mortgageable and saleable. The key documents for a sale are:
- 1 The Chartered Structural Engineer's Report confirming the cause and extent of movement
- 2 The specification and completion certificate for the remediation works
- 3 A closing monitoring report confirming that movement has ceased following remediation
Banrach prepares all three documents and can advise on what lenders and conveyancers will require for a specific property.
Think You May Have a Subsidence Insurance Claim?
Contact Banrach Consulting Engineers for an independent Chartered Structural Engineer's assessment, whether your claim is just starting, already in progress with an insurer, or has been disputed.